F-16, F-15EX Enjoy Unlikely Renaissance As Air Force Priorities Shift

F-16, F-15EX Enjoy Unlikely Renaissance As Air Force Priorities Shift | Aviation Week Network

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Lockheed’s F-22 is the U.S. Air Force fleet’s pathfinder for an open architecture processor upgrade, but the F-16 fleet may not be far behind.

Credit: U.S. Air Force

Only a few years ago, the age of so-called fourth-generation fighters appeared to be near its end for the U.S. defense industry. As late as 2017, conventional wisdom pointed to likely production line shutdowns by the end of the decade for the latest versions of 40-year-old designs for Lockheed…

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F-16, F-15EX Enjoy Unlikely Renaissance As Air Force Priorities Shift